Cadalyst - ZCorp - June 2008 - (Page 4) “There would be maybe a couple of sketches that Thom would make, but pretty much all of the design work was happening in 3D, and we 3D print across numerous iterations.” Saving Projects, Winning Business “The human mind thinks in three dimensions, not two,” explained R. “Partha” Parthasarathy with architectural service bureau iKix. Architects and contractors have relied on 2D plans since the early days of the building professions. While seemingly precise, 2D plans are often misinterpreted, particularly by the client. For example, Partha relays the story of a recent urban residential project with hundreds of clustered units. The client was happy with the plans, but when he saw the 3D model he immediately worried that the units were too crowded together. The architect moved a pool and a fitness club into the center of the site to ease the congestion. This is a solution that all parties would have otherwise missed until the buildings were already halfway up. Having a 3D model early on saved the architect untold hours and the client money spent on change orders. The Jerde Partnership invested in the ZPrinter 310 Plus and reports that they have been using the ZPrinter on a daily basis to model everything from cityscapes to kiosks. The in-house 3D printing capability allows them to create models more quickly and gives them the ability to produce models they never would have considered building by hand. One example of how 3D printing is helping the Jerde Partnership win projects occurred merely weeks after purchasing the ZPrinter 310 Plus, when they presented a design for a San Diego waterfront. The detailed physical model vividly demonstrated the way Jerde’s concept enhanced the waterfront without altering its character. Al Vass, an associate vice-president and senior project designer at Jerde, estimates that the model would have taken an entire team a week to make by hand. Using the ZPrinter 310 Plus, the model was printed in less than half a day. The more detailed and complex the design, the greater the advantage that 3D printing presents, said Vass. He estimates that 3D printing has doubled modeling efficiency. How Does It Work? Z Corporation’s 3D printers work with BIM programs to construct 3D architectural models from a plaster composite powder. First, the architect uploads the design from a program such as Autodesk Revit or 3ds Max. Then Z Corp’s software digitally slices the design Case Study Trailblazing a Vision: Using 3D Printing in the Civil Arena 2 Landmark buildings, breathtaking bridges, efficient roadways and reliable public utilities serve as convincing testament to the Ramboll Group’s (www.ramboll.com) engineering vision. Communicating one’s vision prior to winning a job, however, is another matter. This is one reason that Ramboll, a $577 million Nordic engineering consultancy, has adopted advanced 3D printing capabilities for all of its operations. Ramboll operates an extensive international business offering full-service consultancy in infrastructure, telecommunications, building, health, industry, oil/gas, energy, environment, IT and management. Despite its successful track record, Ramboll faces aggressive competition for new business. From the start of a business relationship, the company must convincingly establish the advantages it can offer the client. While Ramboll has always been proud of its engineers’ design concepts, it’s always been a separate task entirely to make the words, blueprints and pictures behind the designs vivid, memorable and compelling in the minds of prospective clients. Seeking powerful new ways to improve its competitive capabilities, the company identified 3D printing as a potential solution. From the start, Ramboll saw full color as an indispensable capability. That requirement made the evaluation process straightforward. Ramboll invested in a Z Corporation Spectrum Z510 3D printer, the only high-definition, multi-color 3D printer on the market. The Spectrum Z510 rapidly and dynamically produces 3D architectural and engineering models in shorter time and, in most cases, at far less cost than traditional handcrafting. Because of their fine, multi-colored detail, the models enable the company to communicate its unique vision more vividly and dynamically. The Spectrum Z510’s ability to print imagefiles on surfaces gives the models a realistic and picturesque touch and is an especially important factor when presenting infrastructure projects. For example, Ramboll engineers can map textures such as brickwork onto a wall, or they can map aerial photos onto terrain models. These new capabilities are improving Ramboll’s success at winning new projects. Shortly after purchasing the Spectrum Z510, Ramboll competed for a high-profile bridge project in its home country of Denmark. The http://www.ramboll.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - ZCorp - June 2008 Cadalyst - ZCorp - June 2008 Cadalyst - ZCorp - June 2008 - (Page 1) Cadalyst - ZCorp - June 2008 - (Page 2) Cadalyst - ZCorp - June 2008 - (Page 3) Cadalyst - ZCorp - June 2008 - (Page 4) Cadalyst - ZCorp - June 2008 - (Page 5) Cadalyst - ZCorp - June 2008 - (Page 6) Cadalyst - ZCorp - June 2008 - (Page 7) Cadalyst - ZCorp - June 2008 - (Page 8)
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.